The Cold War was a period of political and military tension between the United States and its Western allies, and the Soviet Union and its Eastern allies, which lasted from the end of World War II in 1945 until the early 1990s. It was called the "cold" war because there was no direct military conflict between the two superpowers, but rather a series of intermediate wars. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin, began to spread its communist ideas and influence throughout the world. The United States, who was at the time under control by President Harry Truman, viewed the spread of communism as a threat to global stability and democracy, and began a policy to prevent the spread of communism. This then led to tensions …show more content…
There were many armed battles during the Cold War, the most well-known arms race of the Cold War was the nuclear arms race. The United States and the Soviet Union both developed large numbers of nuclear weapons. This arms race led to a dangerous period of nuclear brinkmanship, with the world coming close to nuclear war on several occasions. Another armed race was the space race. The United States and the Soviet Union competed to be the first to achieve various space milestones, such as launching a satellite, putting a person in space, and landing on the moon. The United States and the Soviet Union also engaged in an arms race when it came to conventional weapons. Both sides developed new and advanced weapons systems, such as tanks, fighter jets, and missiles. This arms race was driven by concerns over maintaining a strategic advantage in Europe and other key regions around the world. Overall, the arms races of the Cold War were driven by a combination of strategic concerns, ideological competition, and domestic political